Liatris is a genus in the aster family (Asteraceae) native to North America with at least 40 species and many cultivars available. They all consist of disc flowers without rays on a spike that blooms from the top down in pink, purple and white colors. Some are showier than others. The leaves are long, linear and arching and grow from a corm. Soil conditions depend on the species and most prefer full sun to light shade. Height varies by species. Use these plants in the native pollinator garden to attract butterflies, bees and moths in the border, groupings or as a tall accent plant. Plant corms about 5 inches deep and 6-8 inches apart. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
Less than 12 inches
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in. | Width: 0 ft. 6 in. - 1 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect
Texture
Medium
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Whorled
Leaf shape
Linear
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Basal linear grass-like green leaves
Flower color
Pink; Purple/Lavender; White
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Head; Spike
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Heads of disc flowers arranged on a spike in various densities depending on the species. Blooms from the top down in pink, white and purple. Has a bottle-brush appearance.
Bloom time
Summer
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Cypselae (a type of achene) with stiff light brown bristles in fall.
Stem color
Green; Purple/Lavender
Stem detail
Green to purple round unbranched stem
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Bahamas and Northern America
Wildlife value
Host plant for the Lepidoptera species including the flower moth Schinia sanguinea, which feeds exclusively on the genus, along with Schinia tertia and Schinia trifascia. Flowers attract various pollinators